Caltech Presents the Plays of Ray Bradbury

The Caltech Beckman Theater will present plays and adaptations from Bradbury’s work including All Summer in a Day, A Sound of Thunder, The Flying Machine (in Mandarin), Marionettes, Inc., The Martian Chronicles, and Fahrenheit 451. As of March 1, 2020 the remaining shorts have been indefinitely postponed.

Los Angeles Times Book Awards

On April 17, 2020, the Los Angeles Times in partnership with the Ray Bradbury Estate announced that Marlon James was the winner of the inaugural Ray Bradbury Book Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction.

Museum of Popular Culture Book Club

April 17 - May 15, 2020Online

The Museum of Popular Culture’s recently launched book club read three short stories from The Illustrated Man: “The Veldt,” “The Rocket Man,” and “The Last Night of the World.” Events included online discussions and a screening of The Illustrated Man.

Wil Wheaton Reading of "Luana the Living"

May 3, 2020Online

Actor & writer Wil Wheaton (Star Trek, The Big BangTheory, and Stand by Me) read Bradbury’s “Luana the Living” on an episode of his podcast, Radio Free Burrito. Wheaton describes this story of an explorer’s harrowing experience in the jungles of India as “*exactly* the kind of book I would have picked up from the spinning rack of fifty cent paperbacks in the drugstore.”

Published in 1940 in the fanzine Polaris when Bradbury was 19 years old, “Luana the Living,” offers a rare glimpse into the writers’ earliest works.

Neil Gaiman and Sam Weller at The Big Book Weekend festival

Author Neil Gaiman and Ray Bradbury biographer Sam Weller celebrated Bradbury during The Big Book Weekend,a 3-day virtual festival. Gaiman and Weller discussed Bradbury’s continued appeal for readers of all ages and his influence on their own work.

American Writers Museum

Summer 2020-Spring 2021Chicago, IL

The American Writer’s Museum, a Chicago destination for writers and readers of all ages, will engage the public in celebrating Ray Bradbury’s centennial with an exhibit comprised of original artifacts on loan from the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at Indiana University’s School of Liberal Arts (IUPUI). The exhibit will demonstrate Bradbury’s pervasive influence on American literature.

21st annual Dandelion Wine Arts & Music Festival

June 13, 2020, 10am - 6pm CDTOnline

Bradbury’s hometown of Waukegan, Illinois will celebrate Bradbury’s Centennial year with a reading of Dandelion Wine by celebrity fans. The readings will be live-streamed on Facebook beginning at 10am CDT. Other programs and events for the virtual festival will also be available live on Facebook.

American Library Association Convention

June 25–30, 2020 - cancelled due to COVID-19 virusChicago, IL

The Convention, neighboring libraries, and the association planned on hosting Bradbury-themed events and panel discussions, including his influence on such contemporary writers as Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Alice Hoffman.

Los Angeles Public Library

August 1–29, 2020Los Angeles, CA

The twelve branches of the library have scheduled different programs which will include Bradbury’s influence on Hollywood over the years, and screenings of the film adaptations of Something This Way Comes and Fahrenheit 451.

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

Beginning in 2021Washington, DC

The museum is planning to honor Ray Bradbury with a yearly lecture series and present a Ray Bradbury Laureate Award to a distinguished speaker. In addition Bradbury and his book, The Martian Chronicles, will be part of the museum’s Walking on Other Worlds exhibition to open in the Winter of 2022.

Raleigh Bikes

Aug. 22 & 29, 2020 Venice, CA & Washington, D.C.

To celebrate Bradbury’s lifelong love of traveling via bicycle, Raleigh Bikes has donated several bicycles which will be given away during Centennial events at the Library of Congress National Book Festival and the Friends of the Venice branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Library of Congress

August 29, 2020Washington, DC

The National Book Festival Gala will recognize Ray Bradbury’s literary works at its annual event. One event tentatively scheduled is the appearance of African American astronaut Leland Melvin whose life was inspired by Bradbury. In addition, plans are underway for scientist Ann Druyan and sci-fi novelist Mary Robinette Kowal to join in Bradbury related events.

National Council of Teachers of English

November 19–22, 2020Denver, CO

High school and university students will receive the first Ray Bradbury Writing Awards in Fiction Writing. In previous years the awards have been presented by luminaries such as President Clinton, pictured here.

Mars: The Red Mirror

November 24 2020—April 25 2021Barcelona, Spain

The Center de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) will present a celebration and exploration of the many, scientific, mythological, and literary approaches to understanding the significance of the planet Mars down through history. Curator Juan Insua will include a special exhibit section on Ray Bradbury with visual materials supplied by Indiana University’s Center for Ray Bradbury Studies.